NOISE MAPPING FOR URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC AND ITS EFFECT ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Abstract

A major source of noise in an urban agglomeration is the road traffic. In order to analyze the effect of the noise on the population, the local authorities need noise maps, created depending by each major noise source. Data necessary for estimate the noise generated by the road traffic are: vehicle numbers and vehicle speed, by category, and data related to the road segment: traffic flow, road surface construction and gradient. The final result – noise map – is strongly influenced by the accuracy of input data. This paper presents a method for road noise mapping, from the beginning (data acquisition) to the end (printing and evaluation of population exposure), an original approach that gives accurate results.